Ulster Bank, 27 Main Street, Castlederg, Co Tyrone, BT81 7AU

Ulster Bank, 27 Main Street, Castlederg

A detached symmetrical three-bay two-storey bank built around 1865, located on the west side of Main Street, Castlederg. The building is square-on-plan facing east, with a two-storey return at the rear and a single-storey flat-roof extension positioned at the re-entrant angle.

The roof is not visible above an ashlar parapet with an eaves cornice supported on corbels and surmounted by an ashlar blocking course. Rainwater goods are replacement uPVC. The walls are constructed of roughly dressed squared-and-snecked rubble with ashlar banding and stepped quoins rising over a projecting moulded plinth. The principal elevation features 1/1 timber sliding sashes contained within ashlar surrounds with pedimented heads and keyblock detail, with splayed projecting cills. Replacement timber casement windows are found at the north, south and west elevations, with projecting masonry cills and smooth rendered banding. The principal elevation, facing east, has a central entrance door flanked by two windows on each side, with five windows at first-floor level.

The entrance comprises double-leaf replacement timber panelled doors flanked by crocketed pilasters, surmounted by a stone transom and a rebated round-arched-headed opening containing a plain timber fanlight. A metal signage panel reading 'ULSTER BANK / LIMITED' is positioned to the right of the entrance.

The south gable is abutted off-centre at the left by square-plan stone piers with stone copings supporting replacement metal gates. To the right of the pier is a round-arched-headed chamfered opening with moulded springer stones containing a replacement 1/1 fixed window; to the left is a square-headed 1/1 window. Two windows appear at first-floor level on the south gable; the left is square-headed, the right round-arched-headed.

The west elevation is abutted at the right by a slightly lower two-storey extension containing a stairwell, with a single-storey flat-roof extension at the re-entrant angle. The exposed section contains a single window at ground-floor level and three windows at first-floor level (diminished in size). The north elevation contains two windows at ground-floor level, the right one diminished, and a single window at first-floor level on the right.

The rear return has a flat roof with roughcast-rendered walls. The south elevation contains a single fire door at the right at ground-floor level; the west elevation contains a single window at first-floor level; the north elevation is abutted by the single-storey extension. The single-storey extension, which contains a vault, has a flat roof with ruled-and-lined rendered walls; the west and north elevations are blank. The rear of the bank is enclosed at the south-east by replacement metal gates.

The site is bounded at the north and south by random rubble walling and adjacent buildings. The rear yard is enclosed at the west by single-storey and two-storey outbuildings with pitched natural slate roofs. These outbuildings have roughly coursed rubble walls containing a series of round-arched-headed openings with brick surrounds, fitted with replacement 1/1 timber casements and timber-sheeted doors.

The bank sits within Castlederg town on the west of Main Street, bounded to the road by replacement cast-iron railings mounted on the plinth wall.